Urban Homesteading - We Canned Tomatoes!

When Co-conspirator Jess called me last week to ask if I wanted to come over and help her can the 800 tons of vegetables she had gathered up from her garden, I was:

1. Relieved - "Canning Vegetables" is pretty much the "Selling Cookies" of Urban Homesteading Merit Badges. Basic, assumed, and passed down from generation to generation with handfuls of anxiety and expectation. I was relieved, because if Jess showed me how to preserve fresh fruits and veg, I could take myself seriously as a Homesteader. I could then move on to all kinds of other old-timey things like making my own cheese and dehydrating tomatoes in the sun...
2. Anxious - Even though I have fond memories of my mom and her sisters and friends steaming up the house with their canning adventures in the summer when I was a kid and none of us ever died, the word BOTULISM kept rolling around in my ears.
3. Nostalgic - for the memories of my mom's huge canning pot, the weird looking canning sieve, and the beautiful Ball jars that held mom's favorite bread-and-butter pickles, stewed tomatoes, and raspberry jams (and later decorated my wedding).
4. Thankful - That Jess knows how to do this stuff, and that she is willing to teach! And also thankful that her neighbor gave her two big buckets of free tomatoes that I got to use, since my garden consists of a big basil plant in the window sill.

So anyway, I said YES, and last night I headed out to Western Springs to can it up with Jess and her friend Jessica. Jessica's mom was kind enough to let us invade her beautiful kitchen for the night (thank God for kitchen islands and counter space!).

We just made very simple crushed tomatoes. Just the 'maters, and a 1/4 tsp of citric acid powder in the bottom of each jar (to maintain consistent acidity. Or something. An extra precaution.) just before you add the hot tomatoes.

This isn't exactly a how-to. I'm definitely not confident enough in my knowledge to instruct anyone yet (remember botulism?) but think of this as an overview of the process. It's not as intimidating as it seems.

First, you have to prep your tomatoes.

Yay for free tomatoes!

Cut off the tough or questionable bits and give em' a quick pulse.

Then simmer them up in a pot.

While your tomatoes are prepping, heat up a CAULDRON canning pot of water:

Big Pot of tomatoes on the left, canning pot of water on the right.

Then take a nap while everything gets good and hot. (Just kidding, don't leave stuff boiling while you nap).

Sterilize your jars! (and your lids) Canning tongs are a must.

Jars taking a hot bath in the canning pot with the support of the jar frame.

Sterilized jars with citric acid powder in the bottom, patiently awaiting some action.

Using a canning funnel to get the tomatoes into the jar with surprisingly little mess.

Ta-da!

Go team!

There are a handful of other steps involved, like poking air bubbles out of the tomato-filled jars, reboiling the filled jars, and clapping with glee when your newly-canned tomatoes start to "PLINK!" as their vacuum seals officially clamp tight.

Note: Jess says that it is very important that newly canned jars REMAIN MOTIONLESS for 24 hours after they are tucked in (covered with a towel). No one she consulted could tell her why this is (our best guess is to give the vacuum seal a full 24 hours to convince itself that it is totally sealed), but in any case, I didn't get to bring my beautiful jars of red goodness home with me last night. Next time I see Jess, I'll get to carry home 11 jars of awesome.

We got started around 7pm and were tucking in the last few jars around 10:20ish. Simple, efficient, and yielded 23 jars. We just couldn't quite eek out the 24th jarful. Oh well. my share of 11 should keep our household in pasta sauce for most of the winter at least (for the cost of $8 worth of jars!).


Go forth and can!

Cooking Win!

I made this recipe tonight for dinner:

Udon Noodle Soup with Bok Choy and Poached Egg from The Kitchn

I had never tried to poach an egg before, and it didn't exactly turn out, but it was still delish, quick, easy, healthy, filling, pretty, comforting, brothy.... Many good things.

I couldn't find the nice plump rounded udon noodles anywhere except in those pre-packaged noodle bowls. And the extra packaging, plastic bowl, etc, was not worth it to me so I bought the skinny dry noodles instead. Oh, and I didn't want to bother buying the star anise (for 2 stars!), but I did have the cinnamon stick which added a nice spiciness. Used veg broth instead, of course.

This recipe gets two enthusiastic thumbs up. I'm almost (ALMOST) looking forward to cooler weather so I can whip this up when I am craving noodle soup like crack fiend.

Do it for the Whales

Some of this will look and sound a bit familiar if you are my friend on Facebook and already saw the pictures from my recent road trip to MT and WA... I also wrote a bit about it on my personal blog... But really, it's so important that I'll write about it again. With a Green-y spin.

Part of the reason I have blogged so little this month is because I went on a kick-butt road trip from Seattle to Montana and back again with my friend Mia (Or "Tammia", depending on when you met her...). I got to try out my Slipcover-turned-shoulder bag, my DSLR camera, and my reusable bamboo cutlery. Happy to report that all did wonderfully well.

When I got home, one of the things I wanted to run around and tell everyone is that EVERYTHING WAS SO BEAUTIFUL I COULD BARELY STAND IT. It's easy to get dulled on skyscrapers and soot when you live in Chicago, and Chicago is actually a really beautiful city. But there is really nothing like a long drive through the Cascades as they cruise along with the Columbia River. Nothing like shivering next to snow drifts along the road in August, or the gasp of breath that lodges in your throat when you turn the corner on an incredible mountain overlook.

All that beauty made me a little desperate too. Desperate to ramp up my efforts, and to get a little preachy. Paper, water, plastic, chemicals, animals, wilderness, conservation, creation care, mindfulness. I hope that if Les and I ever have kids some day, we'll be able to take them into the wilderness and still see trees and valleys, clean water, and killer whales leaping for nothing but joy out of the water in Puget Sound.

We learned on our whale watching trip that killer whales are the #1 most highly toxic mammals in the world - their blood and tissue consistently test higher for toxic chemicals than any other mammal alive. And you know why, of course. Because they are at the top of the food chain, eating contaminated fish and absorbing toxins from the ocean that store up in their fat.They didn't evolve with any mechanism to dilute or remove the toxins from their blubber, so it just builds and builds. Every single Orca tested has been considered immuno-compromised because of the chemicals in their bodies. AND we learned that the majority of female orcas' first-born babies do not survive, because they act as a sponge for so many of the mom's toxins that they don't live more than a few weeks or months. Subsequent babies do better, because that first unlucky baby sucked out some of the mom's concentrated filth. And I wanted to cry when we heard about all the whales who die from ingesting plastic bags.

The guides gave us a little pamphlet about things we can all do to help protect the killer whales. Things like not using plastic bags, not buying products with BPA or parabens (the runoff and excess of which STILL get dumped into the ocean), and never ever buying farmed salmon. Fishermen and legislators need incentive to keep wild salmon habitat healthy and strong, which is also works in the whales' favor by keeping their water and food supply healthy.

Yay for healthy oceans!

I learned all kinds of other things on this amazing Road Trip. Like, for example, that Tammia is an expert in small space gardening! Maybe I can convince her to write a guest-blogger post about container gardening INSIDE your apartment. Did you know you can grow salad greens all year round with just a bit of space and light? If I can find that bit of space, I'll be giving it a try. Not only is she an expert on just about everything garden, she also happens to run the incredible SupaFresh Youth Farm in the greenest of green cities - Portland. (Tammia is the epitome of Rock Star in my book.I don't think I know anyone with the same brilliant combination of capability and compassion. And she's a cupcake baking master.) 

So, to sum up: If you have a hankerin' for a road trip to some wide open spaces, I highly recommend MT and WA. Get out into the shake-you-by-the-lapels-astounding natural beauty of our very own U. S. of A and remember what you are helping to protect when you pack that reusable shopping bag into your purse and make thoughtful choices about what you eat, buy, and throw away. If you can't get away, go outside where ever you live and smile into the sunlight and thank God for being so creative with creation.

6 Months In!

So today marks 6 months since the start of the G3 experiment. I'm going to choose to be GRACIOUS with myself and with my expectations for twice-weekly blogging and the total life transformation I hoped for back in Feb.

Some things DO feel different. I feel much more aware of my consumption, trash, chemicals, food, products and spending habits. And I feel a little less inclined to indulge my shopping impulses. I think twice before buying something in disposable packaging (but still buy more than my ideal). Awareness is a good step.

Some things look different too.
Like my head:

August seriously flew by. I didn't even have a chance to "work" on anything this month, or even think about an idea to pursue or a problem to tackle. I've got some ideas for September, though, so I'm hopeful I can pick up some momentum for the next 6 months of this grand scheme.

I turned my couch into a shoulder bag

Les and I got a new slip cover for our glorious hand-me-down IKEA couch last December and I could not bring myself to throw away yards and yards of lovely white canvas. I'm not sure what I thought I was going to make with it. A boat sail?
Anyway, after many MANY canvas-inspired ideas but little follow-through, I decided I would make a bag. An easy, cool-looking bag that I could use to stow my unattractive Fancy Camera bag and still have room for all my other essential stuff. It had to be a project that would not require me to spend a lot of money on additional supplies, and it had to be something I could complete in one weekend. I searched for online freebie instructions until last week, when I saw THIS tutorial on How About Orange.

After a quick trip to JoAnn for some 60% Off faux leather for the straps (PS - faux leather NEVER goes on sale, so I was elated to get 1/2 a yard for $7), some heavy duty thread ($3), and a box of gray fabric dye ($3 each), I turned this:

Into this:

While not as chic as the tutorial version, it did use a substantial amount of canvas. And after 2 dye attempts, I finally got it the shade of gunmetal I had been aiming for. As long as you don't count the vaguely pink splotches that I assume are the result of couch stain removal attempts that perma-bleached the fabric. I think it just adds a certain "hand dyed" marbling mystique. Right? Um, yeah.

Anyway, the best part about making your own stuff is that you can customize it.
Like the handy elastic Sock Bottle holder I added to the lower side edge:

Spill Proof!

If I were to make this again, I'd go for a different/darker dye color and I'd probably make it a liiiiitttle less tall. It's great for holding all my gear, but it feels a little more shopping bag than a fashion piece. Could be the fact that I had trouble converting centimeters to inches and just eye-balled it. I do have a huge sheet of pretty dark denim that I could use if I want to totally copy-cat the tutorial piece, but it was very gratifying to finally use a hunk of couch to make something practical.

Not the most flattering shot, but you get the idea.

I spent about $19 and have thread and lots of faux leather left over, so I'd say that the only real expense of this experiment was the 2 boxes of gray dye for $6. Plus, I now have a prototype and some trial-and-error insight for my next attempt (which will probably be with the dark denim, since I do LOVE the look of the tutorial version).

So there you have it. My repurposed couch fabric got a new life as a MegaTote. Not bad for an afternoon's worth of work.

A Carefully Planned Splurge

It's already August, and time for another Gray Hair Update. But I'm hoping to get my scraggly tiger-striped hair cut within the next couple of days, so I'm going to hold off on the update photo.

But I do want to give a quick recap of No-Buy July.

It went....um... pretty well!

I managed not to buy any new clothes or books or other random impulse purchases. I didn't "Go to Target for Toothpaste" and come home with $122 worth of stuff. Not that that has ever happened before, I'm just sayin'. Hypothetically of course. I DID buy those $16 worth of magazines at the Borders liquidation sale. And Les and I still managed to spend tooooooo much money on groceries and beer/wine in July. But it felt pretty great to realize that I could talk myself out of most of my spending urges.

But before I pat myself on the back too hard, I did also make my single largest purchase of the year in July.

Blogfriends, meet my new Bff/Nemesis:

I've been jonesing for a DSLR camera for a few years now. I had a film SLR camera back in the day, and I had just barely started to get the hang of it right before film cameras became extinct, and camera batteries and film developing became prohibitively expensive. Especially for someone who was inclined to take 14 pictures of the same flower bud, hoping that ONE of them would be frameable.

But as you can probably tell from the lackluster photos on the blog, my digital point-and-shoots have been sort of crap. Portable, easy to use, and totally competent when taking photos in perfect outside outdoor light of completely immobile objects that do not have eyes or nerves or blink or breathe.

At the beginning of this summer, when I realized that I was going to have 5 paid wedding flower gigs between May and September, I talked with Les about using the income from that side gig to finally bite the bullet and buy My Dream Camera. He agreed, on the condition that whatever camera I chose had to be one capable of taking Pro-quality Poster-sized-Frameable Photos of Auggie. To which I replied, "Duh."

And so, I read reviews, talked to pro photographers, and stalked sales.  Two weeks ago, I saw a sale which posted the above pictured Nikon D5000 for almost $200 off the sticker price. It's a little MORE camera than I was planning on buying, but with the sale, it actually came in cheaper than the more basic version below it. And the D5000 has a built-in instructional guide right there in the handy viewfinderscreenthingy. Which has already been crazy helpful.

But I still almost returned it. It's intimidating. It's going to require a lot of work to get up to speed and be able to take the kinds of pictures I want to take. And, sadly, it's probably going to cost me at least $500 in extra lenses to be able to get a decent zoom or macro shot. Boo. I came thisclose to returning it and just buying a Super Fancy Point and Shoot. But as the last day of my 14-day return window came around, I finally started to get some photos that made me happy. Still kind of crunchy and imperfect, but I'm learning. And so SO much better than the tiny compact cam I have been using. So I kept it. The fact that I could not find the carefully-placed-so-I-wouldn't-lose-it receipt also factored into my decision to keep it, but I try not to dwell on that detail.

So hopefully the Blog photos will show marked improvement thanks to this investment. If they don't, please tell me so I can try to hock the thing on Craigslist before I lose my mind.

Home Made Laundry Detergent - Jess's Notes!

Last week I wrote a quick summary of Jess and my experience making our own Laundry Detergent from a recipe Jess found on Bonzai Aphrodite. We had a few questions from readers about some of the ingredients, and whether home-made detergent saves money.

Jess has far more experience with the ingredients and the cost analysis than I do, so here's what she had to say:

Washing soda is a product of baking soda - but different and needed! It can be found at hardware stores (usually) or at like independent grocery stores. Our local produce/international foods store carries that as well as Borax. I've seen Borax at Target. I think Wal-mart carries both as well, but I'm not sure since I don't shop there.

Does making detergent yourself save you money, since you have to buy all those ingredients?

I think the savings come into play if you use your ingredients to pull double duty for other cleaning products, then the versatility really stretches the dollar much further. I think the amount of detergent you can make for the price is cheaper than store-bought, but you are also spending your time (minimal) making this stuff and you have to decided if that's worth it. I'm not even sure what Tide cost these days because I've been using 7th generation for so long now and I know the homemade is way cheaper than that!

Cool. But does home-made detergent really work?

I just did a load of rugs that soaked up water from our flooded basement and they came out nice and clean, so I think the detergent is doing its job! Hope that helps and you are able to take your own adventure!

Thanks for your extra info, Jess!

More homesteading adventures to come...